Kerry and Dublin get test of character

GAELIC GAMES: THE KERRY football team were probably still on the road home last night when they heard the qualifying draw that will make or break their summer. Dublin versus Kerry is probably the most evocative tie in Gaelic football lore and mentors from both sides must have grinned when both teams were plucked out of the spinning barrels during the ceremonial quarter-final draw yesterday evening.

The date of the match has yet to be confirmed but it is thought a stand-alone fixture next Saturday afternoon in Croke Park is on the cards.

Whether this stark confrontation with their immediate future acts as a bucket of cold water for the drowsy Kerry men or sends them shrinking further into themselves remains to be seen.

As expected, Kerry ended Antrim’s gallant season in Tullamore yesterday afternoon on a scoreline of 2-12 to 1-10, but, once again, the performance was heavy on industry and lacked the devastating fluidity of vintage Kerry attacks.

After a week of speculation, Colm Cooper and Tomás Ó Sé were indeed omitted from the starting line-up, but were introduced over the course of the match. Paul Galvin scored 1-2, his 63rd-minute goal sealing the match for Kerry.

Alone among the teams who have progressed through the qualifiers, Kerry limp into the last eight in a state of either unhappiness or frustration, depending on which of the rumours one chooses to believe. But after winning three and appearing in five of the last All-Ireland finals, the challenge of halting what appears to be an irresistible wave of sky-blue form and momentum will surely serve to focus the Kerry men over the coming week.

It also presents a serious challenge for Dublin manager Pat Gilroy. So far, the St Vincent’s man has had a flawless summer in what is often stated to be the toughest job in Gaelic games, but now he will have to cope with the downright peculiar situation of having his Dublin team going into a match against Kerry favoured by the both pundits and public alike.

There are several ways of looking at this plum tie. It is undeniable that this Dublin team will never have a better chance to beat Kerry. But it could also be construed as a perfect draw for Kerry after their ill-convincing journey through back-door land. If Dublin and the metropolitan Wall of Sound do not rouse them from their ennui, nothing will.

The other three quarter-finals produce collisions that are interesting rather than riveting. Provincial history and grudges have, disappointingly, been avoided.

All-Ireland champions Tyrone will meet Kildare, a match that pits the emerging talents of Kieran McGeeney against one of the modern masters in Mickey Harte. McGeeney has brought muscle, organisation and fierce confidence to the Lilywhite cause and their pulsating battle with Dublin will leave them in fine fettle for a Croke Park date with the All-Ireland champions.

As has been remarked upon, Tyrone’s progress has been formidably smooth but the great disadvantage of that has been that it is a long time – last July against Mayo, in actual fact – since they have been given a tough game.

Munster champions Cork get Donegal, who have come through the qualifying system like a rolling stone. Chances are the Donegal men would have preferred to have drawn a team that would have guaranteed a roaring full house, which is unlikely to be the case against Cork. Two years ago, the teams met and played out a dreary quarter-final, which Cork won with a late point.

Apart from that, it is a tie with no real championship history. But it could be regarded as a litmus test for the theory that success in the provinces can be an ultimate disadvantage. Cork have had a long lay-off since claiming their provincial title while Donegal are coming down the tracks at a speed that both Derry and Galway failed to cope with.

Connacht champions Mayo will have to wait to see whether Meath or Limerick come through. Meath will probably be favourites to advance and, if that were the case, the quarter-finals would be completed with a tie that produced such an explosive rivalry back in 1996, creating an atmosphere of antagonism between the counties that has never gone away.

But Limerick, after the crushing disappointment of a late collapse in the Munster final against Cork, are unlikely to bow out obediently. Either way, Mayo, who have looked substantial, will be expected to push on.

Championship 2009 - All-Ireland SFC quarter-final draw:Cork v Donegal

Tyrone v Kildare

Dublin v Kerry

Mayo/Meath v Limerick

SFC semi-finals: how they line up

Cork or Donegal v Tyrone or Kildare (Croke Park August 23rd)

Dublin or Kerry v Mayo, Meath or Limerick (Croke Park August 30th)

All-Ireland SHC semi-finals

Kilkenny v Waterford

Tipperary v Limerick